So I read all the posts about the iPod in education from your perspectives … really great comments, so thanks for posting. There were a lot that I found interesting and it got me thinking … what I did was actually read the first couple lessons of our 110 readings for the week and linked them here (Topic 1 Lesson 1 & Lesson 2). Give it a try and let me know if you like this better than reading and if it would make its way to your personal MP3 player … I’m not sure listening to my voice outside of class is what you want to do. Please give it a try and let me know what you think–>
I think the audio would be great if attendance did not play an important role in grading. Then we could skip out on class and just listen to the lectures and if we had any further problems (after reading the material online and/or listening to your wonderful voice) we could then go to class with them or post them on the blog for further explanation. However, in reality, participation is a must and so is attendance whether or not you know it all. Therefore, because it’s so boring, it’s pointless; just a waste of the professors time. No way you’d end up on my pda/ipod play list!
Having the lessons on an audio format like this could be a good out-of-class resource. If the topics done in this style were the same topics covered in class, there would probly be an attendance issue, but if the topics done this way were for lessons that are to be done out of class, then it could be very useful. Some people learn better in a lecture type atmosphere, and recording the lessons like this could make them easier for some people. It depends from person to person as to whether reading works best for them or if hearing the lesson works best.
I highly doubt I’d take advantage of this. Although it’d be great to fall asleep listening to my professor’s lessons on my iPod, that’s exactly what I’d do…fall asleep. Personally I would learn better by attending lectures, listening in person and using the text or reading. Although, there are some students who would greatly benefit from something like this. It all depends on the preferences of each individual student.
I thought both were terrible. I would never listen to do a text that i could read so much quicker. Basically the only way you could make me listen to that on a weekly basis, is if you would promise to do a different accent each week.
For some reason I couldn’t get the volume working in the stupid computer labs but I do remember hearing part of this in class today. As much as I hate reading lots of material, because it was pretty long, I would still rather read material than listen to it because if I need to refer back to something I can flip pages instead of play a recording back and forth to find what I am looking for.
I think that the audio is a good idea. As long as there is a way to read also. That way people could have a choice on which way they would like to learn. Some people are visual learners and some learn by hearing.
I was surprised that I didn’t mind listening to the readings. I just followed along with the readings as I listened to the audio. It seemed to work quite well for a first time around. I would probably suggest going back and reviewing the readings, but it was a way to go over the material atleast once.
I don’t like this at all. While i still believe that iPod and other devices of that type can have a valuable place in education, i don’t think this is an effective way of doing so. I would much rather just read it off a website or piece of paper.
I think that listening to the audio alone is not a good idea. I couldn’t pay attention to it and was quickly daydreaming. However if text was scrolling on the iPOD or a text was given to follow along with, I think it would be a great idea. You could pause it when you needed to and it would make the material go fast with better absorbtion.
Theres no way I could ever do that again. I get way to easily distracted and lost. I think it would be benefitial to those who have problems reading, but thats about it.
This sucks! I’ve listened to it and have no idea what is going on. I keep getting distracted looking at my Britney Spears calendar. I need something to write down to reinforce it in my head.
I found that listening too it while reading is not that bad, putting on some headphones and reading along helped me keep focus on what’s going on. Although I would most likely read faster and get it done quicker without the audio, with multiple styles of input to my brain, I remember the information better. But of course using this audio alone, in the case of the iPod dealy, would probably be uneffective.
I think that the audio lessons aren’t that great. They seem to get confusing and if you are looking for something in particular there’s really no way to find it. Text based readings give you the opportunity to scroll through and find a certain topic or whatever you may be looking for. The audio lessons just aren’t working for me.
Yea i’m sorry but the idea of audio just sucks on so many different levels. Your cool in class but theres no way i can listen to your voice and not fall asleep. I mean mabye if you were trying to give me subliminal messages while i was asleep to teach me things mabye it would work. But other then that it would be a miserable experience all around
I agree with what some of the others were saying. I think that I could definitely tolerate the audio clips…I mean even the best student only pays attention 3/4 of the lecture anyway, but if attendance in class is an important part of the grade, then the audios serve less of a purpose. They can still be good to brush up on what we missed in class, but I think that most people are looking at this as a way to attend less class.
I think this is a bad idea. Listening to a professor lecture through an audio device is very boring and will put me to sleep within the first five minutes, if that long, of listening. I would rather read the material myself or attend class to gather the information.
That works for books-on-tapes but not on class material. I really don’t think I would enjoy listening to lectures. Maybe if I missed a lecture or two but not all the time. Perhaps I am just accustomed to lecture.
Wow, that was certainly an interesting experience. I love it and hate it. I am always on the go, so it would be nice to be able to take my notes with me and listen to them. I often find it hard to complete all of the readings for every one of my classes becuase I am just so busy. At the same time, while listening I found that I did get a little distracted by outside noises and other things that were going on in the room,…that hindered the effectiveness of the audio lessons. Another downside is that you cannot flip back through pages if you want to reference something real fast,..you have to search for it, which could take a little longer…
Its a good idea, but I don’t think that people will go through the trouble to put textbooks and such onto audio. And even if they did, it might get old a little fast. In the case of Duke University, listening to important freshmen info for the first time on an iPod would be exciting. But lectures and text in the same voice over and over would become almost a chore for students.
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